Armed militants affiliated with the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) attacked a train in the turbulent mountainous area of Pakistan on Tuesday, taking numerous passengers hostage.
The BLA, which advocates for the independence of the Balochistan province that shares borders with Afghanistan and Iran, claimed responsibility for the deaths of 20 soldiers and the downing of a drone, as reported by Reuters.
The BLA detonated explosives on the railway tracks and opened fire on the Jaffar Express train as it passed through a tunnel in a secluded mountainous region, causing the train to stop. On Tuesday afternoon, the train was en route from Quetta in Balochistan to Peshawar in the adjacent Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
According to local authorities, police, and railway officials, the train, carrying approximately 400 passengers, became stranded in the tunnel, and the driver sustained serious injuries; however, they did not verify the BLA’s claims regarding hostages.
The organization has stated that it has taken 182 hostages. In a statement, it noted that “civilian passengers, especially women, children, the elderly, and Baloch citizens, have been safely released and provided with a secure passage.”
On 7 March, the US State Department issued an advisory, warning its citizens against travelling near the India-Pakistan border and the Line of Control due to “terrorism and the potential for armed conflict”. The advisory also cautioned against visiting the provinces of Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
